“You’llhave to be quiet.” He dropped to his knees, spreading her thighs. “My mouth will be occupied.”
“Now that’s just revolting.” Ignatius waved a disgusted hand across the evening campfire, to where Shan and Leonie stood gazing into each other’s eyes. “Is that any way to behave in public?”
Tiff heaved a wistful sigh. “I think it’s romantic. I hope someone looks at me like that one day.”
“I don’t.” With a shudder, Ignatius pointedly turned his back on their preoccupied counselors. “I liked it better when he was pining and she was oblivious. If they’re going to be disgustingly in love, they could at least keep it to themselves.”
Estelle poked him with a stick. “Oh, don’t be a grump, Iggy. They’re just holding hands.”
“It doesn’t make sense,” Spencer grumbled into his hot cocoa. Steam fogged his glasses. “If they’re mates, she should have known when their eyes met. I don’t understand why she didn’t.”
“Because Shan was still pushing her away at that point,” Beth said. “He had to prove he was worthy to be her mate.”
“That’s just your personal theory,” Spencer countered. “There could be others. It’s not a valid hypothesis if you can’t test it.”
“Who cares?” Archie said through a mouthful of marshmallows. “I mean, it doesn’t matter, does it? They’re mated now.”
Rufus was still watching Shan and Leonie. He shook his head slowly.
“Rufus says he doesn’t think they are,” Finley relayed. He flushed a little. “Um. That is, he thinks they haven’t yet…you know.”
“What, really?” Tiff said in surprise. She studied their counselors, frowning. “They look like they’re having tons of sex to me.”
“He means they haven’t done itproperly,” Archie informed her, in the tones of an expert. “Like, he hasn’t bitten her. Or whatever a flying tiger does to claim his mate.”
“Or she hasn’t bitten him.” Estelle jabbed him with her stick, too. “Leonie’s a shifter as well. It’s notalwaysthe boy who makes the mate bond.”
Beth worried at her lower lip. “But we saw them flying together. I thought that must be part of their ritual. Why wouldn’t they be fully mated?”
Ignatius gagged. “Can wepleasechange the subject?”
“Maybe they’re just waiting for the end of the summer,” Tiff suggested. “You know, so they can celebrate properly. It’s not like they can take much of a honeymoon while they’re working at camp.”
“Yeah, that’s probably it.” Estelle cheerfully impaled a marshmallow. “Stop looking so worried, Rufus. They’re together now, right? Everything’s going to be fine.”
CHAPTER 31
ONE WEEK LATER
Leonie checked her watch again. The hands had barely moved since the last time she’d looked. Maybe it was broken.
“She should be her by now.” She shaded her eyes, peering down the access road that led to the camp. “Maybe I should call her again.”
“Leonie.” Shan caught her hand as she reached for her phone. “She’s only five minutes late. Fretting won’t make her arrive any faster.”
He was right, unfortunately. Which only made her more antsy. “How can you be so calm?”
“Practice.” He slid his fingers through hers, claws carefully retracted. “Contrary to popular opinion, working as a special agent isn’t all dangerous infiltrations and midnight chases. There’s a great deal of tedious waiting around, too.”
She leaned against him, taking comfort in his calm, steady presence. “Such as when you’re sent to a summer camp?”
He smiled, bending to brush his lips against her forehead. “I wouldn’t call that tedious.”
She captured the back of his neck, pulling him down for a proper kiss. “Good.”
Despite his words, she didn’t think he was quite as self-composed as he claimed. His muscles were taut, biceps straining against his camp T-shirt. Her stomach twisted with a faint, phantom pang, his emotions leaking through the half-finished mate bond.
Over the past week, she’d been careful not to reach out to complete that connection. At times, the temptation had been almost overwhelming. When they were skin to skin, mouth to mouth, every instinct screamed to claim him forever.
